NCAA Women's Tournament: Stanford rolls into the Sweet 16

STANFORD — Rosalyn Gold-Onwude single-handedly sparked top-seeded Stanford right into the Sacramento Regional semifinals — and the fifth-year senior earned a rousing standing ovation to celebrate her career night when she finally took a seat with 6:52 left.

She waved in all directions as she ran off the court to more cheers after the game.

Gold-Onwude hit a career-high seven 3-pointers on the way to a career-best 26 points, and top-seeded Stanford shot a sizzling 68.8 percent in the first half and rolled into next weekend’s Sacramento Regional semifinals with a 96-67 victory over eighth-seeded Iowa on Monday night.

Gold-Onwude knew this game was going to be about the guards and 3-point shooting — and boy did she come to play. The Cardinal made their first nine shots from long range before JJ Hones’ miss with 3:21 left before halftime.

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for unlimited digital access to our website, apps, the digital newspaper and more.

Gold-Onwude shot 9 for 13 — 7 of 9 on 3-pointers — in saving one of her best games yet for the biggest stage. Stanford wound up 11 of 18 from 3-point range and shot 56.3 percent from the field overall.

The Cardinal (33-1) also got 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks from center Jayne Appel and produced their highest-scoring half of the season in taking a commanding 61-34 lead at the break, thrilling most of the nearly packed house at Maples Pavilion. Stanford won its 46th straight home game.

Kachine Alexander scored a career-high 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting to lead Iowa (20-14), which shot 7 for 23 on 3s after making 10 in a hard-fought first-round win over Rutgers — the Hawkeyes’ first time advancing since 2002. Jaime Printy’s airball 3 attempt midway through the second half summed up the night for Iowa, the Big Ten tournament runner-up.

Gold-Onwude knocked down back-to-back 3s to start a 21-2 first-half run that put Stanford ahead 45-18, then Iowa responded with a 9-0 burst only to see Gold-Onwude score five straight points moments later.

With West Coast Conference MVP Courtney Vandersloot having fouled out, the Bulldogs (29-4) went to Frieson, their senior leader.

No. 5 Georgia 74, No. 4 Oklahoma State 71, OT

TEMPE, Ariz. — Freshman Jasmine James scored 14 of her career-high 27 points in overtime to lead Georgia (25-8),Andrea Riley, the nation’s No. 3 scorer at 26.6 points per game, returned from a one-game suspension to score 31 for Oklahoma State (24-11).

MEMPHIS REGIONAL

No. 1 Tennessee 92, Dayton 64

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Alicia Manning scored a career-high 17 points and had 10 rebounds for Tennessee (32-2), which will make its 28th appearance in the regional semifinals, this time playing 350 miles from home in Memphis.

Dayton (25-8) was tasked with playing it’s second all-time NCAA Tournament game in front of about 10,000 orange-clad fans on the court named for Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.